Saskatoon StarPhoenix

Ready or not, it’s Trubisky time in Chicago

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CHICAGO The Chicago Bears are going to give prized rookie quarterbac­k Mitchell Trubisky a try.

The No. 2 overall draft pick from the University of North Carolina will start against the Minnesota Vikings Oct. 9 after Mike Glennon struggled in the first four games. The team announced the move Monday.

It’s hardly a surprise that the Bears will go with Trubisky considerin­g how much Glennon has struggled. He has five intercepti­ons and three lost fumbles. He got picked off twice, lost a fumble on a sack and had another snap ricochet off his knee for a lost fumble in Thursday’s 35-14 loss at Green Bay.

The Bears had envisioned this as sort of a redshirt season for Trubisky even though they made a bold move by trading up a spot with San Francisco to grab him on draft night. He started only 13 games at North Carolina and worked primarily out of the shotgun in a spread offence with few similariti­es to Chicago’s scheme.

He started third on the depth chart behind Glennon and veteran Mark Sanchez. But with his mobility and arm strength, he progressed quicker than expected. Trubisky sparked a debate over who should start with a strong performanc­e in the pre-season opener against Denver, though he was more ordinary in the next three exhibition­s.

Glennon played turnover-free ball in a 23-17 season-opening loss to Atlanta and had the Bears threatenin­g for a last-second touchdown after struggling for much of the game. Things only got worse for Glennon in a blowout loss at Tampa Bay and he didn’t play well in a surprising win over Pittsburgh, either.

Having a banged-up offensive line and depleted receiving corps didn’t help. With Cameron Meredith tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament in the pre-season and Kevin White breaking his shoulder in the opener, the Bears are missing their top two targets.

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